1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a float construction of the type primarily intended for use in supporting a seaplane, and more particularly to improvements in the construction of the bottom of the float so as to enable an airplane equipped with the floats of this invention to take off in shorter distances than has heretofore been obtainable. The float, or pontoon, of the present invention is of the single step variety.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous constructions for seaplane floats, or pontoons, are known in the prior art. With regard to these prior art devices it may be said that, first, the floats were designed for the sole purpose of supporting the plane on the surface of the water. As such, the earliest float constructions were mere flotation devices, and little consideration was given to their planning characteristics as they moved across the water's surface.
However, engineers and seaplane manufacturers soon realized that the planing characteristics of the float directly related to performance capabilities of the plane to which they were attached. That is to say, if better planing characteristics could be obtained, the seaplane could become airborn in shorter distances. This not only made the seaplanes safer, but also extended their capabilities with regard to landing and taking off on relatively smaller bodies of water. Accordingly, principles of marine engineering were applied to float constructions.
A significant advancement in the art of seaplane float construction was realized by the addition of a transverse step across the bottom of the float. Simultaneously, the front of the float was normally curved in an upward direction much like the bow of a boat. When an aircraft equipped with such prior art floats was at rests or being taxied, it tended to sit back on the step portion of the float and present an inclined bow so as to move through the water more easily. Then, as the aircraft approached the speed necessary to be airborn, the floats would tend to plane on the forward, bow portion, significantly reducing the water's drag with the corresponding increase in the plane's takeoff capabilities. Exemplar such prior art constructions are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,794,898; 1,812,265; and 3,208,421.
Notwithstanding the engineering advances discussed and illustrated above, the current state of the art for float constructions is still such that relatively large bodies of water are required for launching seaplanes because of the drag characteristics of the floats. Accordingly, it is clear that there is a great need in the art for an improved float construction which would significantly decrease the taxi distance of a seaplane prior to its being airborn. Of course, such an improved float construction should be of a type which can be easily installed and maintained on existing seaplanes. Furthermore, while the improved construction would have as one of its primary objects the reduction of drag as the plane moved across the water's surface, the construction must also be aerodynamically sound so as to have no deleterious effect on the plane's flight characteristics once it is airborn.